How Safe is RU 486

A February 2006 study published in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy should make Health Canada feel good about not approving RU486 for use in Canada.  Two  obstetricians

/gynecologists systematically analyzed the American Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) adverse event reports related to the use of RU486 from September 2000 to September 2004 and have just published their findings.  They are now asking the FDA to withdraw their approval of RU486.

The reports draw attention to 637 adverse events (including 8 deaths) experienced by women who took RU486 to terminate an early pregnancy.  The most frequent serious and life-threatening events were hemorrhage (42 were considered life-threatening and 168 serious), infection (46 were serious or life-threatening) and missed diagnosis of ectopic pregnancies (including 1 death).  A total of 235 emergency surgeries were needed.